Address in Reply

Address in Reply

Adjourned debate on motion for adoption.

(Continued from 16 May 2018.)

The PRESIDENT: Before I call the honourable member, I remind honourable members that this is a maiden speech and the member is entitled to be heard in silence.

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS (15:29): Insofar as it is necessary, I rise to support the motion. I thank the President for the opportunity to speak for the first time as an elected Labor member of the Legislative Council of the South Australian parliament. I am honoured to join the Legislative Council. I acknowledge and pay respect to the past and present traditional custodians of this land on which we meet, the Kaurna people, and take example from their leadership as elders of an age-old tradition of stewardship and governance.

I congratulate the President on his election as President of this house. I thank His Excellency the Governor for his speech, opening the Fifty-Fourth Parliament of South Australia. My goal is to provide a voice on behalf of the South Australian community as we continue the work of building a fair, just and civil society, a society that looks after its people and sustains and protects this diverse state and its environment, and to make sure that we also preserve South Australia's identity and way of going about things among our sister states.

We have a lot to offer the rest of Australia, and have at many times in the past. We should be looking to lead the way, not meekly following along in the shadows of the Eastern States. The recent Tesla battery, initiated by the Weatherill Labor government, has been a huge success and is a great example of putting South Australia on the map as leaders in ideas and innovation. I intend to continue this work, using the skills and experience that I have gained in my life so far.

I was born in Adelaide and have lived here all my life. Greek is my first language. As a first generation Greek-Australian, I grew up inheriting the richness of the Greek language and culture, as well as embracing what was then a predominantly Anglo-Australian culture and English language. I was the first born in an extended family of young, newly arrived non-English speaking background migrant workers.

Growing up in our household, we were encouraged to express our views and talk about issues and listen to arguments from others. Our house was full of social and political discussions. I remember my father defending our right as children to participate in those discussions when others around the table thought that it was not appropriate for children to be involved. That is my Greek-Australian cultural tradition. It is a birthright as well as a personal responsibility. As part of my cultural heritage, our parents made sure we were well-educated. The right to speak and be heard is very important.

My parents grew up in Greece during the Second World War and the bitter civil war that followed. They experienced war, poverty, economic insecurity and were denied schooling in those turbulent times. They took an enormous risk to start a new life in a country they saw as one of peaceful and democratic civility, economic opportunity, and cultural and personal freedom. My parents worked hard in difficult times, carving out a life in a new country that had a different culture with a different language and with differing social attitudes and values.

My parents embraced and adapted to many customs and values that they found here, while also attempting to maintain their identity and the traditions of their heritage. This is a common migration experience. We, as a society, have a responsibility to preserve and protect our healthy functioning democracy. We are now seeing new waves of refugees and migrants in pursuit of this. They come from countries where democracy has been denied them or taken away. Most of us are migrants or the descendants of migrants. The reality is that most of us came here in boats, with or without documents; more recently, some of us are coming in planes. Migrants have helped to build this country and will continue to contribute to it for the better.

My father died suddenly just after I had turned 17. I was studying in year 12 at the time and chose to leave school to become a provider for the family, helping my mum working in the family small business. Three years later, I got married to my husband Chris, and with his support I soon returned to complete year 12 as a mature-age student. My sister Fev, who completed year 12, took my place in the family business. I look back now and realise my whole life has been driven by a set of values and a personal philosophy that I now bring to my work here in parliament. At an early age, I learnt that we may not always be able to control the events that affect us, but we can control how we respond, and how we solve problems and move forward.

My husband Chris also made the long journey from Greece as an adult migrant, with a view to living in a more democratic and fairer society. He, too, came from a family that suffered through the Great Depression, two world wars and also a civil war. He directly experienced the effects of a military junta before fleeing Greece. Upon arriving in Australia, he worked in a foundry for a number of years before returning to study sociology and philosophy at university.

I was very fortunate to have his support, which also coincided with the wave of social reform in relation to the status of women. Many questioned why now, as a married woman, I was going back to study. For them, that was not my role or place. Chris and I did not share that view. Chris and I have been married now for nearly 40 years and have a partnership that has empowered me to develop my skills and talents and to continue my education and training. As a result, I have been able to take up a number of very different roles in paid and unpaid work that have drawn on the principles and philosophy of our relationship and provided the bedrock to my political ideals and aspirations.

Education has been my gateway. It has afforded me opportunities and broadened my work and life experiences. I continued my studies until I completed my degree in politics with honours. I then became a parent and then re-entered the paid workforce as a bilingual, bicultural case worker at the Adelaide Women's Community Health Centre. After that, I entered the union movement as a migrant workers' rights officer at the then Federated Miscellaneous Workers' Union. My role was primarily to encourage and equip non-English speaking background workers to have a more active role in their workplace and their union.

Education was a gateway for me but also for migrant women and migrant workers. They needed language skills and to know their rights and entitlements in order to participate more fully in the workplace and in our society. Education empowered me, and I saw it as a way to empower others as well. I applied those same principles of adult learning and education to my work in the Trade Union Training Authority in training union officials and worker reps. My work at TUTA further reinforced my understanding of the importance of education and also instilled in me the importance of workers being organised and bargaining collectively to achieve fair and equitable working conditions and remuneration.

If workers do not have adequate terms and conditions of employment, job security and decent pay so they can live, you do not have a fair and democratic society. My effectiveness in parliament will be measured by what I can achieve to ensure that we have a fair and equitable work environment in this state and therefore society. How we deal with issues such as industrial manslaughter, wage theft and fair pay increases determines the health of our democracy and our society.

My early experiences as an interpreter and translator for my parents, filling in forms and translating for them with doctors and agencies, exposed me to the barriers preventing them from fully participating in society as equals. Language is an equaliser; there is no doubt about that in my mind. As my world view expanded, I realised that a number of issues that migrants were experiencing also applied to women and workers generally. My understanding moved from the very specific microcosm of my family world and their immediate needs to understanding and appreciating the needs of society more generally.

My next awakening came in my role as an arbitrator on the workers compensation review panel, which subsequently became the Workers Compensation Tribunal. In determining the fate of individual injured workers, we had to apply the circumstances of the individual's case to the prevailing law at the time. If the law was good, then you could address the issues and problems confronting the individual worker. Bad law meant a poor outcome for all concerned. It made me realise the huge influence the law generally has on people's everyday existence, even though most of us are not aware of it. It made me realise the importance of fair and effective lawmaking to improve people's lives in a systemic way rather than trying to improve things in a piecemeal fashion.

During my time there, I also started and completed my law degree, having realised the importance of the law as a tool to assist in shaping and influencing our society. In the 13 years since I left the tribunal, I worked as a partner in a law firm representing workers in workers compensation and industrial matters. This was a return to my beginnings in a number of ways. I was again a small business operator with all the challenges that a small employer has in meeting the needs of clients and staff and maintaining the financial viability of the firm. It required me to keep abreast of developments and changes in legislation, of which there are many, and assessing how those changes impacted on individual clients. It also meant that I had returned to the days of addressing the individual and their immediate problems.

That work gave me a number of lessons. The first is that no matter what your circumstances, people seek solutions to their problems and wish to avoid conflict and want to minimise cost. People do not want to go to court if they can avoid it. They just want solutions to their problems with minimal disruption to their lives. Another lesson was that people felt powerless, and that is because they are normally excluded from the process. People turn to lawyers and put their lives in our hands because they do not have a choice. Sometimes people feel more empowered when they have a lawyer representing them, but the fact that this is necessary suggests that the system is flawed. The structures that we have created to protect people are failing them. It is within the parliament's power to address this and it is our obligation to do so.

Throughout my working life, I have always been involved in community issues and organisations at the local, state and national level. I have been a founding member of the United Ethnic Communities, the Migrant Women's Lobby Group and the Association of Non-English Speaking Background Women of Australia. I have also been a member of a number of government committees and bodies relating to migrant and women's issues.

I had the privilege to be a voice for non-English speaking background women as one of three community representatives on the Australian federal government delegation to the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, which was held in Beijing in 1995. Previously, I had attended the United Nations preparatory meetings, which were held in New York in 1994.

My involvement in community representation and organising exposed me to the similarity of experiences of all people, irrespective of who they are, what position they have and which society they live in. There is a common set of issues and concerns of people who are disillusioned and disenfranchised by the systems and structures that are in place allegedly for them.

In my role as a parent, in my community and paid employment and throughout my career, I have developed a deep appreciation for the power of learning as a means to self-determination. I have also developed an appreciation for the need for fair and accessible structures and laws. I am thankful for the opportunity to undertake in this house the important work to achieve effective and lasting improvements in people's lives.

Today, I want to thank many people who gave me the support and encouragement to take up this role. I need to thank all the friends and family who have been involved in this journey for their loyal support, advice and enthusiasm. In particular, I want to thank David Gray for his support and friendship. I would not be standing here today without him. I also want to thank United Voice branch secretary David Di Troia and all United Voice staff, officials and members for their support.

To Cheyne Rich I offer my sincere thanks for his advice and support throughout this process. I did, however, have to endure his lame jokes. I thank Reggie Martin and the ALP office and all of my fellow candidates in both houses. For their support of my candidacy, friendship and counsel, I would like to thank Kyam Maher, Mark Butler, Steve Georganas, Jenny McAlister, Katrine Hildyard, Blair Boyer, Steph Key, Paul Caica and Joe Szakacs.

There are others, and I will mention Angela Vaughan, Julie Duncan and Jo Chapley, candidates in the recent election with whom I worked closely. Unfortunately, they are not with me in this parliament. I hope they will consider putting themselves forward again, as they will be great assets to our party. They nominated and worked hard in difficult contests, as did many others. Thank you to Georgia Pavloudis, Rhiannon Pearce, Dimitri Lioulias, Nick Mavrogeorgis, George Kontopolous and Peggy Veloudos. I also acknowledge the support of the Greek Orthodox community and the Cyprian community. Finally, to my husband Chris and my two strong and wonderful daughters, Demi and Nefeli, and my son-in-law Tom Dunstan—thank you.

I ask for forgiveness from those I have failed to mention. There are many and I am so fortunate to have your gifts of support and effort. I thank each one of you. In particular, I am able to stand so steadfastly in my role because I have a foundation of love, challenge and support from my husband Chris and my two daughters.

I would like to take the opportunity to talk about a few issues that are dear to my heart. I have spoken about the transformative role of education in my life. I believe the wellbeing of our present and future society is directly commensurate with the quality and length of education and training. Included in that is access to language education services for new arrivals to our state to ensure effective and supportive integration into our community.

When talking about education I am not just talking about the first 18 years of our lives but the learning and training that is a lifelong process. It is a process that enables us to be adaptive, enterprising and creative in how we live our lives, how we become the people we want to be and provide for our family's welfare and security. Education is an investment by the state for its people and its future.

Violence against women and children is an ongoing and endemic problem. It spreads across all domestic and economic situations. Education, policing and intervention, justice implications, emergency support and financial and relocation counselling are but a few means by which the government can change the deeply concerning statistics and the prevailing narratives of victims of crime in this area. We have gone beyond simply talking about the statistics in this area. We must continue to develop adequately resourced programs and services that address this malaise.

The living and working conditions of today's South Australians are as good as they are because of the hard-lived experience of our predecessors. They all struggled with social change, post-war pressures, growing families and engaging in an enterprising work life that enabled them to achieve a great deal on our behalf. Our state and our country is the better for their efforts, their courage and their stoicism. Their legacy is our inheritance.

In our state we have an increasing proportion of an ageing population. It is a priority that they are afforded respectful and appropriate retirement services that reflect creative thinking and innovation. My commitment is to ensure that, through my work in this house and within the community as an active advocate, I stand firm for a quality of care that sees our old and frail citizens treated with dignity and respect. We have to do better to ensure that the contributions of our aged are celebrated and our most treasured citizens are included and supported to participate in community life as best they are able.

Having witnessed the backbreaking work that many workers had to endure in the past, including my own parents, I have a particular interest in the areas of employment security, fair work conditions and remuneration, and occupational health and wellbeing. My parents, the clients with whom I worked and members of the community all share stories similar to thousands of other South Australians who were not, and continue to not be, afforded fair pay and safe working conditions by business and industry. It was only through the vigilant advocacy of the trade unions, the Labor Party, women's movements and community organisations that we now have better conditions.

The shift to part-time, low paid and contractually limiting work conditions, and the loss of continuity of employment, benefits and incentives that South Australians have grown to rely on is a matter that we as a community have to do something about. We must ensure that we do not sacrifice our hard-earned workers' rights, conditions and pay if we are not to be driven into increased levels of poverty and economic insecurity.

As a state, we face many challenges. A declining manufacturing sector, the changing nature of the service economy, the advent and impact of technology on work, and the predictions in relation to climate change are but a few such challenges. The future economic growth of the state, the nature and conditions of work and the regulations for safe and fair employment are matters that require vigilance and attention.

As a state, it is critical that we invest in innovative and job-creating enterprises and that we train and upskill our workforce to meet those new demands. We should be training people with transferable skills so that as our economy changes and adapts so can our workforce. Our work in this house is to ensure that the interests of all South Australians are kept in mind as we consider the legislative changes that are proposed. We should be vigilant against unintended consequences and that any new legislation is founded on the values and ideals that we all hold dear and ensure that the vulnerable and the working class in our society are always protected.

I draw inspiration and strength from some distinguished leaders from all walks of life and the many community contexts in which I work, and also from some of my political role models, such as Don Dunstan and Gough Whitlam. I am proud to sit on this side of the chamber with my colleagues. I am also proud to be one of the many women in this parliament.

I am a pragmatist. I have no patience for populism, spin or short-term opportunism in politics. Achieving social and economic justice in accordance with the principles of equity and a fair go will require drawing on those with experience and knowledge, both within and outside this parliament. I am a passionate person who truly cares about the state and its people. I will work hard and will not shy away from a fight that needs to be had in this chamber. I will serve the South Australian people with great enthusiasm and zeal.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The PRESIDENT: I congratulate the honourable member on her election and wish her well for her time in the council on behalf of all members of the Legislative Council.

The Hon. M.C. PARNELL (15:54): I also rise to support the Address in Reply and in doing so I thank His Excellency the Governor for opening this session of parliament. I congratulate you, Mr President, on your elevation to the top chair, and I welcome the five new members of parliament who are our colleagues for the next four years—some of us for the next eight years, maybe—in this place.

I also acknowledge the three retiring members and we have spoken previously about the two members who sought re-election but were unsuccessful. I would also especially like to acknowledge that my colleague the Hon. Tammy Franks was re-elected, which was something that we worked very hard for as a party and, having been the only Green in the village for a period of four years, I am delighted to have a colleague with me to share the workload. We only have half of all of the portfolios each. A little bit like, I think it was, a former pope who divided the world up between the Portuguese and Spanish, we divide the portfolios up accordingly.

I congratulate the new government on their election. The speech for the opening of this session delivered by His Excellency set out some of the government's agenda. I will accept that the government has a mandate to bring things forward to parliament but, as others have said, they do not have a mandate for them to pass because a number of other people elected to this chamber took a contrary viewpoint.

I am reminded of something the Treasurer said during question time today. He said that he thought it would be surprising if those of us on the crossbench and on the opposition did not want to hold the government to every promise they made during the election. Well, I am happy to hold them to the good promises they made, but the lousy ones, the lousy promises, I am happy to let them go. I am more than happy for the government not to fulfil its promise to introduce drug sniffer dogs in schools, for example. That is a terrible policy—it will have unintended consequences. The good things they said: yes, bring it on; the bad things: no criticism from the Greens if they drop them.

The Greens' mandate, along with others in this place, includes opposing some of the things the government has said it wants to do in its early days. They want to cap council rates—the Greens do not support that. They want to completely deregulate shop trading hours—the Greens do not support that either. There are some policies that are likely to find favour with the Greens, such as increased openness and transparency and measures such as journalist shield laws. In fact, I have already tabled in this place a freedom of information reform bill and I look forward to the government supporting that.

I really look forward and I encourage the government to show leadership in changing what I think is a dangerous culture that has developed within government. It is a culture that has developed and, I think, festered under 16 years of Labor, where the default position has always been, 'How can we hide this information? How can we prevent disclosure?' The Ombudsman put his finger on it. He said:

The first question in a government agency should be, 'How do we share this information with the public who own it?' rather than the first question be, 'How can we find an exemption in order to prevent disclosure of information?'

But I am prepared to take the government at their word. They say they are up for reform of openness and transparency, and I wish them well and the Greens will support them, if that is, in fact, their agenda. Someone asked me a month or so ago, how was the new government going. I said that I thought it was going really well and that they had not done anything wrong. Of course, that led to a supplementary question, which was, 'Does that mean they haven't done anything yet?' and I said, 'Well, sort of.' As some members know, and hopefully soon all members will know, I am generally a glass half full sort of person, so I am prepared to give the government the benefit of the doubt.

There are some issues which the government has not put on its legislative agenda for this session, which the Greens will be pursuing. My colleague Tammy Franks highlighted some of these yesterday and she got the ball rolling with bills to decriminalise sex work in South Australia, to enshrine volunteer charters for emergency services, as well as putting a motion for a select committee into poverty in South Australia.

In my portfolio areas, I intend to bring before parliament a number of issues that the government does appear to be reluctant to engage in. The first of these, I have to say, is climate change. We saw at the federal level an incredible paralysis of policy, which meant that investors had no certainty of where policy was heading, they could not confidently invest in new projects—overwhelmingly, renewable energy and storage projects—and as a result, investment stalled.

I raised in parliament, in the first week, that we are starting to get an indication from solar energy, at least in South Australia, that similar policy paralysis is impacting the investment decisions of ordinary South Australians. They are not putting panels on the roof, even though they want to, because they are not sure the government is going to support, in a policy sense, that commercial decision they are making.

I am increasingly, and in a completely bipartisan way—which means I am equally critical of both Liberal and Labor—concerned that the ongoing support for the fossil fuel industry appears to be marching unabated. The present government appears to be just as supportive of new fossil fuel electricity generators as the previous government was. In fact, just before question time today, I gave evidence before the State Commission Assessment Panel, which is a subcommittee of the State Planning Commission, urging them not to support yet another fossil fuel power station in South Australia. It is now the third of these that I have done in recent months, totalling about a gigawatt of brand-new, climate-changing, fossil fuel power stations in South Australia.

If we are serious about addressing climate change, we have to start with a policy of no bad investments, and that means no new fossil fuel power stations. It is going to take some time to phase out the old ones; why on earth are we building new ones? I would also point out that, under the current government, they are continuing to succour and to give support for the underground coal gasification industry, which I spoke about not at some length but I think in my five-minute matter of interest speech yesterday.

It is one of the filthiest, dirtiest and most dangerous technologies, yet the government is giving them approvals to progress through the pre-feasibility stage, including construction works that are apparently starting on site next week. Underground coal gasification is just a ridiculous concept. The global scientists tell us that if we are serious about climate change, 80 per cent of known existing fossil fuels have to stay in the ground. We should not be looking for new ones, and we should not be using the dirtiest possible techniques to exploit the reserves that we already know are there.

The Great Australian Bight is the next target for the commonwealth government, promoting new oil and gas exploration. The state government might try to conveniently hide behind the fact that it is in commonwealth waters and it will be a commonwealth decision, but I can tell you that nothing is going to happen in the Great Australian Bight without equivalent on-land facilities. Those on-land facilities are the responsibility of the state government.

If the state government says they are not going to support a new oil and gas industry in the Great Australian Bight and they are not going to approve new on-land facilities to support those offshore activities, then that industry is dead in the water. We want to see some leadership from the government. It will be the next big campaign, especially with every conservation group in the state dead against offshore oil and gas.

South Australia can be a world leader in renewable energy and storage, and we have to make sure that this new government preferably gets behind it but, at the very least, gets out of the way. The industry is speaking. They are speaking with their investment dollars. They want to build new renewable energy facilities and storage. They do not want to build new coal-fired power stations. There will never be another coal-fired power station built in this country, and I would be very surprised if too many of these gas ones get built either. So the government, ideally, should get behind renewables, but at the very least, get out of the way.

Another issue that is coming up—and I think the Governor referred to this, or certainly ministers have since the opening of parliament—is that the mining law proposals that were tabled towards the end of the last session of parliament are going to be revived. My plea to the government is to not just bring back the bill that the Labor Party introduced, but go back and look at those parts of the act that provide for community participation.

The new ministers, many of them from country areas, know that the imbalance is well recognised by farmers and by others in the rural community. They have no rights when it comes to mining. They do not want to be treated like mushrooms. They expect to have a say on mining proposals, and they also expect that decision-makers will actually weigh up the pros and cons of short-term mining projects versus long-term farming projects.

A classic example was the Hillside mine, over on Yorke Peninsula—maybe 15 years of relatively common minerals versus potentially thousands of years of ongoing sustainable agricultural production. Why would you sterilise several thousand hectares of some of the best barley growing land in South Australia for a short-term mining project?

There are other mines, obviously. We have the Bird-in-Hand mine in the Adelaide Hills, where you have direct contact between the growing lucrative winery industry, cellar doors and a range of other agricultural/horticultural pursuits in the Hills, again weighed up against short-term mining proposals.

Another issue that I think will be dominant in this next session of parliament—and I know that some members will be groaning at this thought—is planning, which will be back on the agenda. It was, I think, the longest debate we had in the last session of parliament. That might have put the framework in place, but really the detail is yet to come. I expect that, whether it is in this chamber or in the committees of parliament, we will spend a lot of time talking about the future of our state, our suburbs, our cities, our towns, how development will occur, what will be allowed where and, most importantly, what rights citizens have to participate in decisions that affect their quality of life.

Time does not permit me to go through all the issues that the Greens will pursue in the next session of parliament, but I will just finish with this one. I am again, with my glass half full, encouraged at what I have heard from the government about parliamentary reform. I know, through my discussions with various what were opposition members now ministers and government backbenchers, that there is an appetite for reform.

Certainly, the committee system has been mentioned, whether that is the restructure, the consolidation of committees or other aspects. We got rid of those cars and drivers. I have already put on the record that I think we need to reconsider the pay structure for committees; in other words, get rid of the chairs' pays: I do not think they are deserved, I do not think they are necessary and I do not think the public even know about them.

Also on the question of parliamentary reform, I am encouraged that there are noises from the government about standing orders reform. I am not 100 per cent sure of my facts here (but someone will correct me), but I believe the Standing Orders Committee met last century—I was told 1999. It may have met since, but I do not think it has resulted in any reform since, so I am very keen to see that. There is some low-hanging fruit that can bring this parliament into the digital age, but there are a lot of other reforms we could look at as well.

I am very keen to bring this parliament and this chamber into the 21^st century. I have chewed a few ears already about how the Victorian parliament does things: they have an attitude which is that the parliament can engage with citizens independently of the members, and I think that is fantastic. There are online petitions in the Victorian parliament now. They are tweeting away at the hearings that are being held, the witnesses and all the different programs going on. They absolutely encourage the citizens of Victoria to engage with their parliament, and I think we can do a lot more in that space.

I will finish with something that I hope will have fairly unanimous support. Again, I reference the Victorian parliament which, in the last several months, became the first White Ribbon accredited parliament as a workplace. That is something that we can do here. I have taken on to get the ball rolling with that, so I will be writing to the men in parliament, I think. It is the White Ribbon movement, which, as we know, has often been driven by women, but part of the agenda is to make sure that ultimately it is driven by men. I think we need to get together a multiparty group that pursues White Ribbon workplace accreditation for the state parliament. That would be a great initiative for this First Session of the Fifty-Fourth Parliament.

The PRESIDENT: Before I call the honourable member, I advise members of the council that this is the honourable member's maiden speech, and she is entitled to be heard in silence. The Hon. Ms Bourke.

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (16:09): I rise to speak in reply to His Excellency's speech in opening this session of the South Australian parliament. I thank His Excellency the Governor for opening the Fifty-Fourth Parliament, and I congratulate you, Mr President, on your election to the position of presiding officer. I trust we will all benefit from your knowledge and guidance.

I also congratulate all other newly elected members, particularly those on this side of the house, the Hon. Clare Scriven and the Hon. Irene Pnevmatikos, and I congratulate the Hon. Frank Pangallo and the Hon. Connie Bonaros, as well as my friends and colleagues in the other place, Jayne Stinson, Blair Boyer, Michael Brown and, of course, the new member for Croydon, the Labor leader Peter Malinauskas.

I was humbled to join the member for Croydon's team as his shadow assistant minister. Peter, your passion, determination and work ethic is second to none, and under your leadership I wholeheartedly believe the party is in safe hands. I also acknowledge the contributions that were cut short by the recent election, Tom Kenyon and Annabel Digance, and the contributions of retiring members in both this chamber and the other place.

I do not bring to these benches a degree in law, economics or commerce. Unlike many of my esteemed colleagues on both sides of the chamber, I do not bring a lifetime of experience. However, I do bring two things that I hope will be of tangible and longstanding benefit to the parliament and therefore to our state. Along with many others in this chamber I share a common interest, a proud and personal connection, with regional South Australia, a topic I will expand upon in a moment. The second thing I bring—and this goes to the very core of who I am and what I hope to achieve here—is a strong and unwavering belief in the value of community.

When thinking about this concept I have often reflected on the words of a dear and much-loved friend and mentor, Amanda Rishworth. She used these words during her first address to the House of Representatives, 'society is like a woven cloth, one in which many threads come together to make a cohesive whole, a unified fabric.' For me this cloth is a tapestry, a tapestry of lives past and present whose threads cross and recross one another creating a community, a community that is linked together by people, not buildings.

I know too well that it is not the bricks and mortar of a school building that enables a child to reach his or her potential; rather, it is the teacher who invests in the individual. Similarly, it is the doctor who gives empathy and comfort in times of need and the business owner of a small country town who gives everything they have back to keeping a community together. It is the people who make South Australia a proud, humble and colourful tapestry, the people we all represent.

The vital importance of community was once again reinforced in my mind when travelling back to Adelaide this past Easter after a family holiday in Robe. After a two-hour drive and one too many rounds of I-spy, the lakeside town of Meningie provided the reprieve my family so dearly needed. There my three young girls—twins Madeleine and Annabelle who are seven, and Lucy who is almost four—disappeared to test run the local playground.

The town was abuzz with families travelling home from the Easter break and as I enjoyed one of the 40 kilograms of sausages sizzled up by the faithful Lions Club volunteers I listened to the all-too-familiar conversation of the playground unfold. A single mum juggling the demands of three little ones, and a dad laying the ultimate Easter threat, 'Come now or there'll be no more Easter eggs.' Each family had a story and I am sure each had challenges, but how do we in this chamber support the single mum and the dad rounding up his kids? How do we get the balance right? How can we ensure we do not leave a loose thread unattended, threatening to unravel the tapestry? These are just some of the questions I hope to answer throughout my time in parliament.

Just as it is people who shape a community, it is family that shapes an individual. I grew up surrounded by four siblings—Colleen, Bronwyn, Sonya and Steven—on a cereal and cattle farm at Cunningham on Yorke Peninsula. I would like to take this moment to thank my siblings for their love, honesty and guidance. But perhaps it will be their relentless taunts during my childhood that will best prepare me for this house.

Politics was never a conversation starter at the Bourne family kitchen table, and there was never any mention of the Labor Party in our relatively conservative household. The overriding family values were a belief in work and translating ideas into action. My parents, Austin and Dianne, worked hard, and continue to do so, to ensure we did not go without—a quality that has passed through generations.

Mum and Dad, thank you for all you have given to our family and your community. I am sure there must have been times when you wished you did not have to provide the updates to family and friends about your daughter joining the Labor Party. But without hesitation, you have wholeheartedly supported me and my family every step of the way. I am not sure I should put this on the record but my parents did lift the bar when they decided to volunteer and hand out how-to-vote cards for the Labor Party in the very removed community of Kingston, some three hours away from Yorke Peninsula.

My family has never been one to shout about its achievements, but today I would like to indulge a little to acknowledge a proud history my parents, siblings, forefathers and mothers have helped weave. The family stories that are handed down through generations remind us of the struggles and sacrifices made to enable us to enjoy what surrounds us today. Aboard the first migrant ships to reach the shores of South Australia was a young brickmaker, Joseph Stace, and his wife, Eliza. Sadly, Eliza's life was cut short and she became one of the first registered burials in the West Terrace Cemetery.

It is humbling to know that your family's pioneering hands were among the first to carve the bricks to build the homes and stores that would help shape South Australia. Generations passed and so did the family service to the community. After my grandfather, Colin Stace, returned from service in World War II, unknowingly to him his new Scarfe Steel client's son would one day marry his only daughter, Dianne. His new client, Bourne Engineers, also played a pivotal role in transforming the landscape of South Australia.

As family folklore proclaims, Stanier Bourne was the first registered blacksmith in South Australia, but to avoid possibly misleading the house in my first speech I will add that he was one of the first. The family moved from Price to Arthurton before finding a permanent home at the coastal town of Pine Point. It was here that my grandfather, Howard, and Dad's innovation and hard work would come to fruition.

To this day, the iconic footprint of the over 100-year-old family business can be seen by holiday-makers as they travel through Pine Point to popular Yorke Peninsula destinations. During the 1960s, Bourne Engineers grew from a father and son operation in a small shed to a workshop with up to 40 employees. The father and son duo went on to register patents in both Australia and the United States for more than 30 machinery and equipment designs, including the Bourne compound and the automatic stone loader.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the magical and compassionate thread that held this family success together, my jolly grandma, Violet, who we like to think was our queen. One of my grandma's favourite stories to share came about from the inception of the Bourne stone loader. If it were not for my grandma's insistence on setting the table with teacup and saucer, the stone loader concept may have never eventuated. The father and son duo set about turning their kitchen table party trick of collecting used tea bags with their saucer into the centrepiece of the automatic stone loader, the driving disc. The stone loader went on to change the landscape of stone-infested fields across the nation and abroad.

The Bourne factory may have a new modern look, but the Bourne ethos woven by my forefathers and dad lives on. In my office, I proudly display a photo of my father standing next to a Bourne compound to remind me daily that bold ideas should not stay on a piece of paper nor remain just a teacup and saucer. It is a picture that serves as a constant reminder of how much we can achieve with vision, determination and creativity.

Last month, I returned to my old school, Maitland Area, which has now been renamed Central Yorke. I have fond memories of my high school days and classmates, so much so that I married one, Aemon Bourke. Aemon, we have come a long way from the sandpit we shared together at Maitland kindy, and I could not be prouder of you and the journey we have paved together. Aemon, you are my everything. Thank you for your greatest gift, our grounding, fun-loving girls, Madeleine and Annabelle, and our little Lucy Violet who, like my grandma Violet, is the queen ruler of our household.

A number of my other fellow classmates and friends are also here today or watching from the comfort of their tractors while seeding, friends Aemon and I have shared so many milestones with: Peita, Matt, Penny, Paul, Damien, Nicola, Shaun, Leanne, Adam and Lisa. Thank you for your patience, love, support and the many laughs we have shared.

As I was saying, upon my return to Central Yorke School, I was welcomed by the faces of familiar teachers and, despite the name change, one thing remained: the unique musk smell. During my visit, I had the pleasure of spending time with five year 4 students: Summer Davies, Tyson McWaters, Sean Millar, Kiala Andrews and Ameerah Wilson, who was the daughter of one of my fellow classmates. I was joined by two aspiring police officers, a teacher, a farmer and a firefighter.

Like my children, they are the fresh new threads in the tapestry. They will help shape, build and protect communities but only if they are provided the tools and support needed to reach their potential. Like me, they may leave Maitland to further their studies and return, as I did, to support their community with a new set of skills.

The new-found skills that I gained while studying in Adelaide led me back home to work for the Yorke Peninsula Country Times, run by the Ellis family. I would like to take this moment to congratulate the new member for Narungga in the other place, Fraser Ellis, on his recent election. Country papers like the YPCT provide more than stories inked on paper. They provide the pages that record the achievements and hardships, the pages that bind a community.

In a last desperate pitch to continue to call YP home, I ran the first of many election campaigns on the streets of Yorke Peninsula towns in the lead-up to the 2006 election. Like many inexperienced campaigners, I was sure we were in with a chance. Labor had a great candidate, Aemon Bourke, who, as ever a realist but thankfully kind-hearted, humoured my enthusiasm. It will not surprise you to learn, Mr President, that Labor did not win the seat of Goyder in 2006, but it turned out to be an invaluable experience, one that led me to work in the corridors of state and federal parliament, in party office and, until recently, with Labor's formidable leader, premier Jay Weatherill. Today, I find myself back to where my political working life commenced, on the red carpet. Never did I anticipate that I would return as a member in this chamber, trusted with the overwhelming responsibility of serving this great state.

I would also like to take this moment to thank the Hon. Russell Wortley for providing the first opportunity to enter the political sphere. I have been asked by many how I find myself in this chamber. The answer is: nothing extraordinary, just hard work. Aemon often reminds me that it is not hard, it is just hard work. I truly believe it is not hard if you believe that what you are doing will make someone else's life that little bit better.

The pavements of many suburbs in both metropolitan and regional South Australia have taken me and countless other Labor volunteers to the doors of hardship, grief and success. These are the conversations that have motivated me to ensure that the necessary social, economic and fair-go threads that are in Labor's DNA are kept in place.

Labor nominated a young mum to stand in a safer seat in parliament. Entering the Legislative Council is an honour afforded to few and I am truly humbled to represent the Labor Party in this chamber, an honour I had never anticipated. I am also humbled by the confidence dear friends like Don and Nimfa Farrell, Amanda Rishworth, Nick Champion, Tom and Anthea Koutsantonis, Shannon Sampson, Victoria and Michael Brown, Dan Romeo, Nick Bolkus, Tom Carrick-Smith, Niki Peak and many more have given me. You have continued to push me well and truly beyond my comfort and I will forever be grateful.

To the powerhouse of the party, Labor's members and dedicated volunteers, Labor's achievements would not be possible without your thankless and unwavering commitment to Labor and your communities. To Young Labor, I will always be proud to wear my red shirt and stand with you. I am comforted knowing that the talent pool of Young Labor is lapping the edges. To the campaign guru himself, Reggie Martin, you have taken our great party from strength to strength and, like me, many have benefitted from your wise guidance and friendship. Thank you.

I would also like to thank Pam Perry for joining my office. Like many working families, we would not have survived the juggle of work and family without the support of my loving in-laws, Peter and Carol Bourke, and my niece Stacey. Thank you for always being there.

Unknowingly, my first job gave me an early appreciation of the necessity of the union movement, which I unfortunately was not part of at the time. I was working at one of the few 24/7 fast food stores in Adelaide and, as one of the oldest employees, I found myself working the graveyard shift, midnight to 3 or 5am. Study was never productive after a night serving burgers, but I worked hard and I kept quiet. Bills needed to be paid. I made employee of the month and was rewarded with additional late-night hours. I finally built up the courage to request a little more balance and was rewarded with—you guessed it—a slashing of hours. If only I had taken the steps to join the union, I have no doubt the SDA would have come in to bat for my rights.

Under the leadership of Sonia Romeo and Josh Peak, the union is in safe hands. I thank you both for your support and, most importantly, your unwavering commitment to the Labor movement. The SDA and the movement is better for having you in the thick of it. Labor has demonstrated time and time again that we will stand up for the dignity of a job, and we will continue to do so.

As a daughter of a small business owner, I appreciate the sacrifices made at both a family and business level. My parents often went without an income to ensure their workers could keep the dignity and security a job brings to an individual, their family and, ultimately, a community—a sense of belonging. It is important economically but it is essential socially.

No-one could have predicted, months after the closure of Holden, for the headlines to read 'Low unemployment and fastest growing economy in the nation.' Under the leadership of Jay Weatherill and Mike Rann, Labor left South Australia in better shape than they found it, a legacy Labor can be proud of. Labor guided the state through times of global uncertainty and we have emerged as a stronger state.

Labor delivered on bold ideas that allowed change to follow and we put ideas forward that challenged the community to consider new directions for the state, ideas that were not always successful but that Labor was bold enough to take from the paper on which they were inked to the community to decide. These decisions created an unprecedented confidence across the state, the confidence to employ more South Australians. I only hope this confidence is not diminished by a threat facing our growers, suppliers and sellers.

The government's proposal to deregulate shop trading hours has the potential to remove a vital community thread, a thread that currently protects a social and economic balance. Yes, the simple line, 'Do you want to shop more?' is an easy line to sell, but at what cost? Will we see fewer families like the ones I saw at the Meningie playground during Easter, if mums, dads and young employees are required to work on public holidays, Saturdays, and Sunday nights? Who will be visiting our regions and providing the economic boost that public holidays bring to these communities?

I fear that the weight of deregulation will see the back of many small businesses, the engine room of South Australia. I fear that the government's open-slather approach will see many of our favourite South Australian brands, stores and familiar faces disappear from our main streets, street corners and communities. That is the unambiguous difference between Labor and the government: Labor is standing with small business to protect local jobs, the government for the duopoly.

Growing up in a small regional community is a privilege, a privilege I will always treasure. I appreciate that more can be achieved if you work as a collective community. I appreciate that the services available to you are often fought for and delivered by volunteers in your community. One thread cannot weave a cloth, just as one person cannot bind a community or a government. Mr President, I look forward to working with you and fellow members in both houses to continue to advance our great state.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The PRESIDENT: I congratulate the honourable member on her election and, on behalf of the members of the council, wish her all the best for her time in this chamber. Before I call the Hon. Mr Pangallo, I remind members that this is the honourable member's maiden speech and he is entitled to be heard in silence. The Hon. Mr Pangallo.

The Hon. F. PANGALLO (16:34): I rise to address the house. May I ask for the customary courtesy and indulgence extended to maiden speeches. Firstly, may I congratulate you, Mr President, on your elevation to the chair of this house. I would also like to congratulate all the newly elected members: my SA-Best colleague the Hon. Connie Bonaros, the Hon. Clare Scriven, the Hon. Emily Bourke and the Hon. Irene Pnevmatikos, as well as those re-elected here and in the other place. A salutation to Emily and also Irene for their inspirational and powerful speeches today.

I thank all the honourable members who have given us a warm welcome. To be standing here before you as a member of the South Australian parliament is, without question, a humbling honour. To represent this great state is an enormous privilege. I promise to serve with humility, honesty, integrity and purpose, to achieve what is in the best interests of our citizens. As Winston Churchill once said, 'You make a living by what you get; you make a life by what you give.' The responsibility of determining our history and the destiny of current and future generations is a daunting commission which is not lost on me.

As we all know, life often takes many unexpected, unpredictable and unintended twists and turns. It is not the decision you make that counts the most, it is the reason you have taken it. After almost five decades in the media industry, this is one position I never anticipated filling. Ironically, after giving so much stick to politicians as a journalist, I now find myself in defence of them.

I have heard commentators describe this place as a retirement home and a pay-off—a fallacy when you review what has been done by the Legislative Council, not only as a house which scrutinises bills but also as a place where important ones have been introduced. I have also observed and experienced the enormous unsung workload politicians undertake and the energy they put into serving their communities while making personal sacrifices along the way. As Albert Einstein succinctly put it, 'Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.' That is a credo I regard highly.

I myself am a product of Australia's multicultural diversity that contributed to the building of this nation. My parents and two eldest brothers arrived in South Australia in 1952 from southern Italy as part of the post-war European diaspora. Two years later, I was born at the Mile End Hospital in the inner west. A sister and a brother followed. My parents battled extremely hard as labourers and process workers to put a roof over our heads and provide us with the education they never had, along the way with valuable lessons in dealing with whatever fate came our way.

From a very young age, my working-class background gave me an appreciation and understanding for social injustices and inequality that exist in our society. I believe it has made me the type of person I am today. To be a voice for the voiceless, I will rush to the defence of the wronged, the oppressed, the vulnerable and those unable to defend themselves. I plan to be a conduit for the conscience of the people I serve.

My interest in the world of politics, news and public affairs was stimulated by my late father. They will be glad to hear this on the other side: he was a staunch Labor man to his last breath. As his grasp of English was not strong, he would ask me to translate the daily news for him. This boosted my general knowledge considerably and it astonished my teachers and headmaster at Thebarton Primary School when they conducted a quiz to select a male and female student to represent the school at Government House for a visit by the Queen Mother in March 1966. Only a female classmate and I could correctly answer the tie breaker, naming the ceremonial title the Queen had just conferred on Sir Robert Menzies, the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports.

That set me on my career path, which began in 1972 just across the road on North Terrace, as a copyboy of the now extinct afternoon newspaper, The News, which at the time was the epicentre of Rupert Murdoch's still growing empire. It was one of those unplanned, impulsive decisions. I was halfway through my matriculation (now year 12) at Underdale High School and hating it, when the job, which paid $14 for a six-day 60-hour week, came up. Even if I was starting at rock bottom as a messenger boy, just to be involved in the daily news gathering process still excited me. While the principal mocked my intentions and tried to discourage me from dropping out, I followed my gut instinct.

Two years later, I was a cadet and a tiny player in a highly-skilled global organisation. In between the drudgery of typing out TV and radio programs, I was understudy to senior staff, helping compile reports on a diverse range of topics, from crime, courts and councils to parliament, industrial relations and sport. At News Limited, you got thrown in at the deep end and it was sink or swim. The constant deafening clatter of a battery of typewriters in a tobacco smoke-filled room on deadline was an adrenaline-pumping experience.

Among my first major news events as a contributor was Cyclone Tracy, the Khemlani Loans Affair and the dismissal. The latter fired up my dad so much that he dragged me to migrant and workers rallies in Victoria Square where enraged Labor luminaries, Gough Whitlam, ACTU boss Bob Hawke, Clyde Cameron and Don Dunstan whipped the infuriated party faithful into a frenzy.

The News was a tremendous training ground for young journalists, many of whom went on to bigger things—Mr Leon Bignell being just one. I was thrilled to rise through the ranks to become the paper's then youngest editor and they reminded me—not using this word, though—the first from an ethnic background. When it finally folded, The News was Australia's last afternoon daily and had the distinction of being the country's first true colour newspaper.

Coincidentally, my name first entered the hallowed annals of Hansard in this very chamber in the mid-1980s. The then Labor health minister, the Hon. Dr John Cornwall, branded me 'The Eggbeater' after a series of newspaper stories on mismanagement in health. It is nice to know things have not changed in that department.

I went on to carve a multifaceted career in other media, radio and television, where I spent the best part of 25 years with the Seven Network in various senior roles. I will forever be thankful for the opportunity Seven gave me, broadening my skills and horizons, seeing the world, doing what I loved. Not in my wildest dreams, as a copyboy who dropped out of school with no formal qualifications, did I ever think it could be possible. But, as my 18-year-old son Connor, who himself faced and spectacularly met his own challenges, reminds me, the only person who can unlock the door to success is you. Others can give you the key, but it is up to you to open that lock.

As the Hon. Rob Lucas, with whom I have had cordial dealings since almost his first day in parliament, has already pointed out, I am a probably best remembered for my provocative skirmishes on Today Tonight. I was involved with the program from conception in 1995 until July 2017. Now it only screens in South Australia and Western Australia. Since 2001, the Adelaide version has won every ratings week in its 6.30 timeslot. It is an Australian TV record, unlikely to be bettered in this climate of digital media disruption. I am particularly proud to be part of its success and the positive outcomes achieved for so many that often went unnoticed or were ignored by cynical detractors.

Still, I have been stereotyped for the controversial and colourful moments dotted through my career, asking the hard questions and making scoundrels accountable. I have chased on foot a blind Casanova conman through the streets of Hobart, pulling a hamstring in the process, and had dodgy builders take swings. There have been rotten removalists, serial shonks and cult leaders. I threw up over a pilot while filming a story on aerial acrobatics. Frank Sinatra's bodyguard and rockers Rod Stewart and Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood wanted to knock my block off. Sophia Loren told me where to go. Diego Maradona dug his elbow painfully deep into my ribs, and I once drove a stoned reggae star, Bob Marley, for a wobbly kick of a soccer ball when he came to Adelaide in the 1970s.

However, the stories I am most proud of are the investigations which, long before the current royal commission, uncovered banking and financial planning fraud and malpractice, where regulators failed miserably in their duty to act. They also included exposing child sex abuse and elderly abuse in nursing homes, while our authorities shamefully turned their backs; advocating for the forgotten in our society; revealing government waste and incompetence; assisting the families of deceased war veterans gain proper recognition for their service that was cruelly denied; and supporting dying asbestos victims who were being bullied by James Hardie.

I intend to continue this type of advocacy during my term in this parliament. Transparency and accountability are paramount and vital for democracy and for our system of government to work competently and productively. SA-Best went to the state election with many excellent policy initiatives, which I and the Hon. Connie Bonaros intend to vigorously pursue and prosecute. We, too, won a mandate.

We will support measures that prosper and stimulate the economy and create employment; provide incentive for business; promote clean, renewable energy initiatives; bring down the cost of living; improve lifestyle for families; reduce harm from drug abuse and gambling addictions; advance learning standards in our schools; retain our best young minds and reverse the interstate exodus; protect the community and the environment; and have a health and aged-care system that works effectively and efficiently, delivering the highest standard of care all of us deserve. To borrow from the words of Theodore Roosevelt, this state will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we all make it a good place to live in.

In closing, there are many people I would like to pay tribute to, starting with Nick Xenophon, who encouraged me to run. Nick is an extraordinary and sincere human being with a brilliant political mind, who devoted 20 years of his life fighting the good fight for South Australia in this house and in the Senate. His achievements have been immense and we will miss his intellect and input. I am confident Nick will emulate a man he admires the most, California Governor Jerry Brown, and make a comeback.

To those who helped during the campaign, there were too many to mention individually here, but I will single out my niece, Marita Golding, for all the effort she put in while expecting her first child, Scarlett. To my family, my late father and my wonderful mother, Maria, now in her 93^rd year, who continues to give us her love and support. I thank my siblings, Mick, Pat, Lisa and Joe, for their support; and my mother-in-law and father-in-law, Vicky and Con Economos.

My boys, Connor and Alex, put in a lot of hours and did an amazing job pulling together my fundraiser and helping in the campaign, and Mark, my eldest son, with my younger brother Joe, also chipped in on the campaign trail and on election day. Finally, the person who is largely responsible for me coming this far is my beautiful wife Angie. Her unconditional love, immense support, words of wisdom and guidance through challenging times I shall always treasure.

Thank you, Mr President, and I hope you will one day read my book, which I will write when the last chapter—here—concludes.

Honourable members: Hear, hear!

The PRESIDENT: I congratulate the honourable member on his election and, on behalf of the honourable members in this chamber, I wish him well in his time contributing to the life of the council.

Debate adjourned on motion of Hon. I.K. Hunter.

The PRESIDENT: I have to inform the council that His Excellency the Governor has appointed 3.45 pm on Tuesday 29 May 2018 as the time for the presentation of the Address in Reply to His Excellency's opening speech.